The Top 25 Companies That Manage Information Best

Drawn from a database of 2,500 publicly traded companies with $100 million in revenue, what follows is a list of the firms most adept at managing information for competitive advantage. These companies, which range in size and industry, are ranked by Information Productivity, an indicator that gauges how a company manages what has become its most important asset—its information. In the information economy, what a company knows about itself, its customers and its market can be the difference between thriving and diving.

RankCompany nameDescriptionNet sales ($M)Est. transaction costs ($M)Income before extra items ($M)IVA* ($M)Information Productivity (%)
1Washington REITReal Estate Investment Trust$164$5$45$44840.2%
2Chesapeake Energy Corp.Crude Petroleum, Natural Gas$1,717$24$311$166700.7%
3Valero LPPipelines, Natural Gas$181$8$70$47618.7%
4Carmike CinemasMotion Picture Theaters$493$15$107$93607.6%
5Eagle MaterialsConcrete, Gypsum, Plaster Products$427$6$58$335590.0%
6Apache Corp.Crude Petroleum, Natural Gas$4,199$139$1,095$731527.7%
7Stone Energy Corp.Crude Petroleum, Natural Gas$508$15$133$78527.4%
8HomeFed Corp.Real Estate Developer$148$12$74$62511.6%
9Houston ExplorationCrude Petroleum, Natural Gas$493$20$134$95487.7%
10Encore AcquisitionCrude Petroleum, Natural Gas$220$9$63$44478.2%
11MoneyGram Intl.Business Services$1,572$13$112$58461.1%
12Prentiss Properties TrustReal Estate Investment Trust$359$11$64$46417.5%
13Evergreen ResourcesCrude Petroleum, Natural Gas$215$15$73$58396.5%
14Catellus Development Corp.Real Estate Investment Trust$535$56$228$204365.6%
15Kinder Morgan EnergyNatural Gas Transmission$6,624$150$694$548364.6%
16VSE Corp.Engineering Services$134$0.352$2$1355.3%
17Devon Energy Corp.Crude Petroleum, Natural Gas$7,352$307$1,731$979318.7%
18Denbury ResourcesCrude Petroleum, Natural Gas$394$11$54$35316.3%
19Cincinnati BellLocal Telecommunications$1,558$342$1,246$1,076314.7%
20Kaneb Pipe Line PartnersPetroleum Bulk Stations$570$25$84$75299.0%
21Petroleum DevelopmentCrude Petroleum, Natural Gas$199$5$23$14289.9%
22UnitedGlobalComCommunications Services$1,892$532$1,995$1,513284.6%
23Delta Financial Corp.Mortgages & Loans$110$23$67$66280.8%
24American Real Estate PartnersHotel & Motel Operator$231$14$61$39278.0%
25Washington FederalSavings Institution$462$36$146$91254.5%

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